Rise of the Planet Apes shows the state of Hollywood. It is a remake of a prequel of an almost campy movie of the 70’s. Hollywood keeps going to tried and true money wells as opposed to riskier new material (for every Avatar, there are scores of flops we never heard of). That being said, I have to say that this movie was a welcome surprise. Modern cinema technology has finally allowed this concept to be fully fleshed out in a very real way. The Planet of the Apes series of the 60’s and 70’s and even the more recent Tim Burton reboot of 10 years ago (has it really been that long ago?)has always had a challenge with the suspension of disbelief. You could always tell that the apes were men walking hunched over in ape suits and that took some of the edge off of it. The technology of this film, through the magic of motion capture (similar to what was used in Avatar), really allows you to put aside that disbelief and totally get wrapped up into the plot. The apes become fully fleshed out and their faces are able to express emotion that their movie predecessors never could.
The premise of the movie centers in San Francisco around a pharmaceutical scientist named Will Rodman (James Franco). Will is passionately working on a drug that will reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s. He has a vested interest as his father (John Lithgow)is suffering from the disease and he struggles with watching his father deteriorate in front of him. His experiments on chimps not only show promise, but an unexpected side effect; increased intelligence. Unfortunately, a particularly aggressive chimp creates unwanted attention and causes the whole program to scrapped. The order is given to put down all the chimps and to start over. The company’s chimp handler discovers the aggressive chimp was pregnant and his conscience does not allow him to put down the new born. He talks Will into caring for the chimp until he can find other arrangements.
Will is reluctant, but when he sees how well his father reacts to the chimp, he decides to take him on. His Shakespeare quoting father bequeaths the name Caesar upon the chimp. Will's scientific curiosity is piqued when he realizes the mother's drug increased intelligence was passed on to Caesar. However, Caesar's presence can’t stop the father’s deterioration and Will takes the drastic measure of testing the drug on him. It works better than he could have hoped for. His father seems to make a full recovery. All three continue for several years, growing closer than Will would have thought possible. The introduction of Caesar’s vet Caroline (Freida Pinto) as a love interest completes the family. However, all good things must come to an end. Caesar’s intelligence allows him to see how the world is and that he is seen, at best, as a pet. He loves his family, but he is unhappy with his lot. When a physical altercation with the neighbor takes place, Caesar truly sees how he is viewed; as a wild animal. He is taken from his family and thrown into the nightmare world of confinement. Slowly, Caesar begins to awaken to his true purpose and rises to his rightful level of leadership among his simian inmates.
I repeat that what makes this film so special is the special effects (I’m usually not a fan of effects over story). The ability to convey Caesar’s pain and anguish through his facial expressions is impressive. It’s something the previous movies couldn’t accomplish. With the exception of Caesar’s jailers, there really aren’t ‘bad guys’, just circumstance. The Planet of the Apes series, despite its’ campiness was always a cautionary tale. It used Sci-Fi as a way to illustrate how we treat others and how the tables could be turned. It was especially significant considering the revolutionary attitudes of the 60’s and early 70’s. Whether we are talking civil rights, animal rights, or even how we treat anyone who we don’t consider ‘normal’, Planet of the Apes illustrates what it is like to be on the receiving end of bigotry in a very real way. It shows how we de-humanize ourselves through the act of de-humanizing others. It also cautions that despite how intelligent we believe we are, nature has a plan of its' own.
Despite Caesar’s treatment in human society or his feelings of betrayal by Will, he never lost his love for his family. Caesar fights for what he believes is right. It’s not that he hates humans, it’s that he loves his brothers and sisters. The film is about special effects, but it also has an impactful story. It has people (I include the Apes in that as well) we care about and throws in a nostalgic nod to a film from the past. In fact, for those with a sharp eye, you can see small clues and homages to the original film and possibly setting the stage for a future sequel (make sure you read all the headlines on the newspapers you see in the background). Also, I won’t give it away, but there is a deep bow to Charlton Heston when someone utters one of the most iconic lines from the original film (the audience I was a part of started applauding during that scene).
Overall, a fun and engaging film. I give this film *** 1/2 stars
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